AXA pulling out of pet insurance

Former_MSE_Helen

Hi all,

Has anyone who has complained to the Ombudsman on this issue had any success? If yes, please PM on here and let me know.

Thanks.

MSE Helen

megaroons

I received a quote on the 09/04/2015 for my policy which expires on 17/04/15. Not much notice! Last year's annual premium from AXA was £387 and the NCI premium is £889. This is for a 11 year old Cocker Spaniel with pre-existing conditions, therefore I either have to pay the new premium, self-insure or nothing. Changing insurer is not an option for me.
Also there is a change in the excess from £70 to £90 and a new addition of a 15% payment of any claims.
I also notice that the new terms contain a new rule that you must pay for a yearly dental examination. See section 1A - Veterinary fees - what we will not pay, clause 24. "The cost of dental treatment unless your pet had a dental examination carried out by a vet in the 12 months before the clinical signs of the injury or illness were first noted". See also section D, General Conditions, clause 3.
We have a low income so all these changes are very upsetting.
I chose Axa pet insurance carefully when my dog was a puppy not thinking they would sell my policy on when my dog got to old age. I think Axa should honour their existing pet insurance policies not pass us on to someone else, especially an unknown company with underwriters registered in Gibralta who can't even get my dog's date of birth right or send out a renewal in good time.

rising_from_the_ashes

megaroons wrote: »

I also notice that the new terms contain a new rule that you must pay for a yearly dental examination. See section 1A - Veterinary fees - what we will not pay, clause 24. "The cost of dental treatment unless your pet had a dental examination carried out by a vet in the 12 months before the clinical signs of the injury or illness were first noted". See also section D, General Conditions, clause 3.

Sorry but that's a pretty standard clause - very few insurers will cover dental and those that do will all insist on a yearly dental. This should be routinely done when you have your boosters done so there is no need to pay for an additional check.

I think all insurers now charge a % of costs when the pet gets older - not having this was one of the things that made the Axa policy so great .... and probably one of the reasons it was unsustainable for them to continue with providing cover

I'm sorry you find yourself in this situation

Have you priced the cost of any meds he's on to see how much they'd be to buy yourself with a prescription from your vet - this is generally a lot cheaper than buying from a vet and might be an option

krlyr

The 15% excess is from 10 onwards - better than some policies (many go from7 or 8+ and can be more than 15%).

As above, the dental clause isn't exclusive to this policy either - infact, many don't cover dental work at all. My vet would likely do a quick visual exam of the teeth at the time of any other consult and deem it an exam without charging me, so check with your own on that. A friend of mine has dental exams done for her dog by photo, as he's not vet-friendly and the vet certainly couldn't safely look in the mouth without sedation!

I was quite prepared to be another disgruntled customer, but I think I've actually done alright. OK, the increase was a bit steeper than the standard increases from AXA - but still less than the cost of me insuring elsewhere and then covering the pre-existing costs myself. And in my situation, if I ditched insurance entirely, it would only take her shoulder issue flaring up for my costs to beat NCI's premium and then I'd have no cover for any new conditions.

They also seem to have been good with the service - chased up my quote prior to the 21 days they state, emailed it across so I got it quicker than waiting in the post, the Close Brothers agreement paperwork came through by email before any payments (I decided to pay the lot upfront, the cancellation of the finance agreement came through on email later that day). They've answered some queries about my claims already, and I do really like that they have a local rate number (which they've answered quite promptly whenever I've called)

Still time for them to mess it up, I suppose, and I'm hoping my last claim gets settled by AXA so it'll be a few months before I have to test out their claim system, but I have been pleasantly surprised. Here's hoping I'm not eating my words in a few months!

megaroons

Thanks everyone for your replies. After reading your replies, speaking to the Ombudsman and the NCI I have decided to take a hit to the wallet and go with NCI.
Our dog is not on any medication but has conditions that might possibly need treatment in the future, i.e., lipomas.
Now the decision is made I feel it is the right one for the dog's welfare and for our peace of mind.
Good luck everyone.

Former_MSE_Helen

Pet insurance premium hikes of as much as £2,000 a year are forcing former AXA customers to look elsewhere for cover ...

Read the full story:

'Pet insurance customers face price hike after AXA leaves market'




Click reply below to discuss. If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply. If you aren’t sure how it all works, read our New to Forum? Intro Guide.

WillyWonga

My 2 King Charles Cavaliers (2 yr olds) were insured through More Than at £23 a month for both (£7k a year claim). Been paying that amount for last 2 years. This month renewal comes through for £48 a month. More Than said due to vets bills on increase and the typical we could knock off a fiver as a loyal customer.

I fear that many people in this situation and that of Axa may go to the lesser known/cheaper policies. This is where caution has to be taken.

Recently my Dad's 6 year old King Charles collapsed and spent a night at the local vets then sent to another vets for MRI scan, X ray, CT scan etc. He thought was ok as insured through Animal Friends. As soon as this was mentioned he was told that many vets refuse to deal direct with Animal Friends and he would have to pay up front and try to claim it back. The bill for just under 24 hours was £2500. This for a 72 year old pensioner was a bit of a shock. Luckily the trusty credit card came to the rescue. Sadly it was cancer and the vet said the best option was to put him down. Animal Friends after 2 weeks did pay up less the excess.

I spoke to my vets and they said that they can deal direct with PetPlan and More Than along with another couple of companies under the RSA company banner. They said they can phone for an instant authorisation number which will guarantee a payout so they would claim off the insurers and we just pay them the excess. Many policies at the lower end of the scale I fear will try and wiggle out of a claim.

rising_from_the_ashes

MSE_Helen wrote: »

Pet insurance premium hikes of as much as £2,000 a year are forcing former AXA customers to look elsewhere for cover ...

Read the full story:

'Pet insurance customers face price hike after AXA leaves market'




Click reply below to discuss. If you haven’t already, join the forum to reply. If you aren’t sure how it all works, read our New to Forum? Intro Guide.

Excellent article Helen, thank you

I would've liked to see a comment from the Ombudsman - not about the complaints they've received (as I think they would say something along the lines of 'we can't comment on current investigations') but about what they're intending to do to stop this practice!

It could - and probably will - happen again

The whole pet insurance market needs looked at and regulated:
- vet charges need looked at - costs are HUGE compared to the continent - why?
- drugs - vets need to have access to drugs the same price as the online suppliers eg if I can buy something for £18 online but someone else pays £68 (what my vets charge for the same item) and claim that from the insurance co - then that has a direct impact on the premiums we ALL pay

Pet insurance shouldn't be a luxury, it's something most of us want to have to ensure we can get treatment for our pets BUT costs of £100 upwards a month are not affordable for the average person and especially if you have more than one pet

SimonSays

What are you going to complain about?

"Insurer puts price up"

Well to be fair they assessed the risk and priced accordingly. Nothing wrong in that

bestyman

I was looking at dog insurance only a few days ago and was trying to understand the advantages of a lifelong policy.


I said to the wife that if our pet gets a bad disease and costs the insurer a lot of money, of course they will renew but at what premium? I said to the wife whats to stop them saying " Ok, we will insure pre existing, the premium is £2,100 with £2,000 of cover".


Looks like the recent MSE article answered my question.


So in future I think I will just get the cheapest policy? Does this make sense? Thanks